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A Tale of Two Tullians
A Tale of Two Tullians is an encounter in Melody of the Maze. It comes after The Plundered Dungeon, Amateur Assassins, Immovable Object, Irresistible Force, or Back to School. Enemies Transcript Introduction "Not bad. But any competent archer can hit the middle of a stationary target." "Then find me a moving one, and I'll show you how good I really am." The first voice, a man's, is unfamiliar. But the one which replies is not. Tessa! You hurry around the corner. Even though part of you is already warning against hope of expectation -- reminding you of everything you've seen in this eldritch environment -- you have to be sure... There she is. Dressed in her battle attire, her bow in her hand. A man wearing a purple doublet stands next to her. And even though your eyes only scan him in passing, you notice that his bow is remarkably similar to hers. Identical, in fact. "Tessa!" She turns to you and nods a greeting. The matter-of-fact nature of the gesture is enough. The hope dies out of your heart, transforming into a sigh. But you step forward anyway, to see if you can glean anything from this doppelganger of your companion. You're taken completely by surprise when your nose smashes against something. One hand pressed against your pained nasal organ, you reach out with the other. It too is stopped by something firm and unyielding. A magical barrier. "Stop fooling around, ," she says. "We need you to make yourself useful." "Ah, so this is the one you were telling me about?" her companion says. "You're right -- he does look like his ancestor. Is he as capable as him as well?" "Perhaps. But he has a lot to learn." "That's great," you say, somewhat miffed to hear your friend's voice criticizing you to her fellow phantom. "But can you get rid of this barrier? I'm trying to get past." "In a moment," she says. "First you need to help us." "Ah, yes..." the man says. "A quest! Very fitting." "Teucer doesn't believe that my archery is as good as his. Even after that..." She gestures to the far wall -- the one at the opposite end of the corridor. There's a straw target mounted there, painted with bright concentric circles. You can make out an arrow at its very center. It's framed on either side by the ruins of another one. "Splitting arrows is all well and good," Teucer says. "But a bowman's measure is found on how easily he can bring down moving targets." "That's where you come in," Tessa says. "There are some imps nearby. The little bastards have stayed out of sight ever since I picked one of them off. But I can still hear them scampering around the passages. Bring some of them here, so we can see which of us shoots better." You open your mouth to remonstrate at the absurd instruction. But instead you shrug your shoulders and nod. It should be simple enough... Conclusion "Here they are," you say. You tip your arm forward, sending the pile of unconscious fiends tumbling to the floor. "Wake them up," Tessa says. You apply your boot by way of a stimulant. A few well placed kicks, supplemented by bursts of weak but shocking lightning, do the trick. The imps scramble around as they try to avoid you. Then the arrows start flying. Simultaneous twangs, as harmonious as those of the bard's harp strings, sing their song as shafts find red flesh. Two arrows strike the first imp. The next is taken by two more before the first has even exploded. Both their clouds of mist are still dispersing when the third is hit. "A draw?" Teucer says. "A draw," Tessa agrees. The two archers fade into invisibility. You stride forward. This time nothing molests your nose. Category:Melody of the Maze